Of Kits and Queens - #Wattys2016

Chapter Four

Fallowpaw, the only apprentice in the clan, had his own space in the apprentice den; a small room on the floor above the warriors den. In the small, back corner on the left was his nest, and one of the walls was completely made of glass. Along the walls were old and broken down Twoleg objects, unmendable. Hung on some low hooks were kittypet collars, shining strings of small, round, and milky white balls. Beautiful stones were scattered about in the room, and some musty Twoleg cloth was layered over a small scene, covered with glass. The were cylinders made of tin, and scattered about the floor were a number of Twoleg things left behind; for, being alone, Fallowpaw could leave his amassed treasures about, though it would only be temporary--until he reached twelve moons.

Fallowpaw possessed many shining objects, most strung up on lines together, or small rings like that of Halfkit. He had odd and heavy things, too. Tattered and beat up hard covers protecting the thin and layered insides that held many odd markings. A pile of old moss showed his laziness.

This den was neat--in a cluttered kind of way. Only the apprentice knew where everything was, and he kept his distance from the warriors. His brown fur was sleek, and his eyes would glint in a light.

It was night. Through the semi-closed door that led to the hall came the sound of leaping warriors, scurrying rats, cheers of the warriors, and creaks of doors.

Fallowpaw sat in his nest, peering out the glass wall. His eyes glinted as the moonlight hit them, and he held a new glimmering treasure in his jaws. A breeze in the hall caused his door to open a little more, sending him a shiver. He flexed his claws, and curled his tail over his paws.

Noiselessly, Halfkit appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in, his small body barely took up space, and his small paws kneaded at the ground. For a moment, Fallowpaw did not notice him, but on raising his eyes, he stiffened and a scowl came on his face. He flexed his claws and dropped his chain, padding over to the small kit.

Halfkit beamed and waved his tail happily in an attempt to make friends.

"You shouldn't be up here," He meowed with a little huff. "It's my den, and only I come in here," He said, motioning to the room.

Halfkit gulped and he smiled again. "I...I wasn't doing anything!" He squeaked. "My mama...she...she's out flying! So I...I came to explore," He explained.

"Well, kits shouldn't be out of the nursery, especially at night. Even if Silverpelt was guiding you the whole time, you might be bitten by a rat," He meowed.

"Why aren't you out flying, too?" He questioned, tilting his black and ginger face to the side.

"I'm an apprentice--Night Leaping is for warriors...ah, they don't want me. I'm just here to be bossed around. They say I stink cause I always leave old moss in here, and collect things from the Twolegged places in the rogue territory. Well, I think they're the bad ones." He grumbled.

Halfkit bounced up and down. "Every cat is out flying," He squeaked. "Everyone! Kest...Kestrelsong said that I should stay in the nursery, but it's boring without anybody!" He whined.

"Well, what do you want? I was going to head to sleep, before Clawscar wakes me up in the morning."

"Nothing...I was just wandering. I...I thought that I could...could come in and play!"